So, you’re thinking of buying a decent inexpensive phone, eh? There are so many great options in the Nepalese market, especially right now. Manufacturers have been clever enough in their smartphone lineup, and are thus streamlining their production of solid budget & mid-range phones by factoring in the booming and price-sensitive markets like South Asia. But guess what? No matter how sturdy a phone is, it is not immune to breakage and damages; and the most common of them is a screen replacement.
It is quite scary, mostly in the premium section of smartphones. Replacing a damaged/broken screen for a $1000 phone can go as high as $400! (you could make a religion out of this) However, today I’ll be discussing screen replacement costs for some of the popular mid-range smartphones you can buy right now in Nepal.
The whole point behind purchasing an economical phone is cost minimization.
So what’s the point if its probable repair cumulates to an unwarranted level of expense? Hopefully, this article will be helpful to our audience in making an informed purchase decision on a finer level.
The following list of smartphones is arranged in ascending order of their respective official screen replacement costs. And as for the screen-to-phone cost ratio, lower is better, which means the cost to replace the screen is relatively cheaper than the actual phone’s cost. For example, a 1:5 ratio means it costs 1 rupee for the screen while it costs Rs. 5 for the phone. Similarly, the ratio of 1:2 is expensive, since it means that you can buy the phone for Rs. 2, while its screen replacement costs exactly half.
Oppo F11 Pro
The Oppo F11 Pro is almost a year-old phone now. It features a stunning design with a no-notch/no-bezel display which is refreshing to the eyes. The experience on this 6.53-inches display could’ve been all the more pleasant if this were an AMOLED panel. However, Oppo has gone with a Full-HD+ IPS LCD screen on the F11 Pro, which is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 5. It was launched at an outrageous price of Rs. 47,990 for the sole 6/128GB variant, which has since been discounted and the phone is available at Rs. 37,499 right now.
Now, the moment of truth. The screen replacement for the Oppo F11 Pro is Rs. 6,300. With its 1:5.95 screen-to-phone cost ratio, this is the cheapest one on the list.
Vivo S1 Pro
This latest mid-ranger from Vivo shares a similar design to the regular Vivo V17 that launched in India. Vivo S1 Pro features a 6.38-inches FHD+ Super AMOLED screen with a tiny ‘U’ shaped notch which holds the front-facing camera. Moreover, it also features a fast optical in-display fingerprint scanner, though the display lacks any Gorilla Glass protection.
If you were unfortunate enough to break or in any other way damage the screen on this phone, it will only set you back Rs. 6,400. Like I said before, this is impressive considering that the phone has a superior AMOLED panel with in-display fingerprint support. With the asking price of Rs. 36,790, the Vivo S1 Pro achieves a commendable screen-to-phone cost ratio of 1:5.75.
Honor 9X
Next on the list is the new Honor 9X. Like the Oppo F11 Pro above, it features a pop-up selfie camera mechanism as well, thus offering a clean bezel-free display. Here, you get a tall 6.59-inches FHD+ IPS LCD panel protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 3. Honor 9X features a chipset downgrade from the identical Chinese variant, but I won’t be going into more detail about that.
Now, Honor Nepal has launched the sole 6/128GB variant of the Honor 9X for Rs. 29,999. Its screen replacement, on the other hand, is quite a big leap from the phones above at Rs. 9,500, thus scoring an expensive 1:3.16 screen-to-phone cost ratio.
Samsung Galaxy A50s
It was time a Samsung phone appeared on the list, huh? The Samsung Galaxy A50s is an “upgrade” over the regular A50, which launched at a laughable price of Rs. 42,000, but the company has been smart enough in discounting it to just Rs. 33,599. Talking about its display, it features a 6.4-inches FHD+ Super AMOLED display with a tiny ‘U’ shaped notch upfront. While the cameras are the highlight of this phone, multimedia experience on the Galaxy A50s is impressive as well.
So getting into the matter at hand, the screen replacement cost for the A50s (protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 3) is Rs. 9,570, securing it the screen-to-phone cost ratio of 1:3.51. I guess that’s justified considering the excellent display quality of the A50s due to its implementation of a superior AMOLED panel.
Huawei Y9 Prime 2019
Huawei is struggling in the smartphone market right now because of its trouble with the US government. But that hasn’t stopped the company from pumping out decent devices in the market, though they have been particularly overpriced in Nepal. The Y9 Prime 2019 is another mid-ranger from Huawei with a pop-up selfie camera. And similar to the Vivo S1 Pro, this one doesn’t come with Gorilla Glass protection either.
Therefore, it comes with a clean, 6.59-inches bezel/notch-free IPS LCD panel. On to its price, the Huawei Y9 Prime 2019 costs about Rs. 29,990 for the 4/128GB variant, while replacing its screen will put you short of Rs. 9,600. As a result, it secures an expensive screen-to-phone cost ratio of 1:3.12.
Samsung Galaxy M30s
Samsung just absolutely milked the big 6000mAh battery on the Galaxy M30s during its marketing campaign, and rightfully so. Launched at the price of Rs. 27,990 (4/64GB) and Rs. 33,590 (6/128GB), the phone has now been discounted to Rs. 24,899 (4/64GB) and Rs. 30,199 (6/128GB) as it is reaching its EOL (End-Of-Life) stage.
Getting into its display, the Galaxy M30s packs a 6.4-inches FHD+ Super AMOLED panel with a tiny ‘U’ shaped cutout for the front camera. However, it doesn’t come bearing an in-display fingerprint sensor or the Corning Gorilla Glass protection. Replacing that screen costs Rs. 9,800, thus making it absolutely expensive with its 1:2.54 screen-to-phone cost ratio for the base variant. But if you consider the fact that the panel is AMOLED, then maybe the M30s deserves some leeway for its screen replacement cost.
Redmi Note 8 Pro
Surprised to find the Redmi Note 8 Pro at the top of the list? I was as well when I came to know of its screen replacement cost. Team GadgetByte has open-heartedly accepted the phone as the best mid-range phone in Nepal right now considering its powerful performance and great camera setup.
Getting into the display, the Redmi Note 8 Pro comes with a big 6.53-inches FHD+ IPS LCD panel with Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection, and a small waterdrop notch housing the front-facing camera. Starting at Rs. 26,999, having to change its screen will further cost you Rs. 10,800. Yep, it’s that expensive with a screen-to-phone cost ratio of 1:2.50.
Conclusion
While we were focused on getting good phones for cheap, it looks like we’re forgetting about something equally crucial – the repairability. In my books, a good phone isn’t just one that performs well; it should simultaneously be durable enough so that a yearly upgrade isn’t required. I know I’m asking a lot of our Nepalese audience when I say they consider such factors as well before buying a phone, or any other electronic device on that matter. But the fact of the day is, the growing volume of smartphone production takes a toll on the environment as well due to its carbon emissions. And costs incurred on smartphone repairs like screen replacement don’t come cheap either. So, if possible, consider the repairability score of a phone from sites like iFixit before buying one.
